[route149]

I've been working the difficult for me third-to-fourth move of a steep plastic boulder problem on very small holds that is about 4 V grades too hard for me.  I don't spend long on it (4 to five tries) and it's productive because it tells me about the subtleties of movement, initiation and timing that are currently beyond me but that I can vaguely 'sense.'

One thing I note is that I can sometimes hang a hold statically but if the problem involves latching it at speed open handed and then converting that to a crimp, I peel off.

What's the deal here?  Is this basically a recruitment problem or plain power?  How could I improve this kind of latching ability. It can't be by campusing because that's open handed, right?

Cheers

[Paul B]

Contact strength...

Campus Touches
1-4-1
1-4-3-4-3-4-3 touches - (see moon site)

Earl had an exercise where he'd hang a rung on the campus board open and bump both hands simultaneously to crimp then reverse and repeat. If I was you I'd just get the contact strength open that way things won't go snap crack and pop as often.

ps - there's no rule that says you CAN'T campus crimped.

[route149]

Contact strength...

Campus Touches
1-4-1
1-4-3-4-3-4-3 touches - (see moon site)

Thanks, Paul.  I have dabbled with touches before, but nothing this systematic.

there's no rule that says you CAN'T campus crimped.

Ah, very interesting.  Worth a try, then!

[account_inactive]

Contact strength is a measure of the speed of contraction when hitting a hold; so campus on the smallest rungs possible and spend a lot of time slapping for rungs instead of locking.

Turning open to full crimp is a good idea, although 1-4-3-4-3 is a shoulder locking exercise

[route149]

Turning open to full crimp is a good idea, although 1-4-3-4-3 is a shoulder locking exercise

Hi Dylan.  Why is 1-4-3-4-3 more a shoulder locking exercise than contact strength exercise?
I know from past experience that I can do 1-4 x very easily on  campus board small rungs, and 1-5 easily.  Is 1-6 better for what I'm after?

I don't really understand how I would go about slapping for campus holds, gotta say.  Can you shed some light pls

[account_inactive]

1-4-3-4- etc etc sounds like it will be a contact strength exercise but it's not.  Best way to find out is to try it The movement with your upper hand is supported by the lower (pressing) hand so doesn't take much weight.  When you let go of the board you will feel the strain that your lower shoulder has been taking in a deep locked position.

Unfortunately what you are asking is a little chicken and egg.  To develop contact strength you need to be slapping and holding a rung, but you only slap if it's hard (so might never succeed), or if it's easy you end up locking and reaching static. 

What I suggest is to use a laddering exercise e.g. 1-3-5, 1-4-7, 1-5-8.  Do this on small rungs as large rungs are easier to catch at speed.  Start with the exercise that you can lock and then either try to be more dynamic or continue the exercise higher 1-3-5-7 etc.  This should force you to slap for the rungs.  A harder version of this would be to work the next progression e.g. 1-4-7 instead of 1-3-5.  But like I said the problem with this is that you will fail more than you succeed so you might want to vary between the two.

Hope this makes sense

[Paul B]

Would doubles on small holds fit this bill quite well? 1-2-3 ladder doubles on small holds (ouch)...

I know what Dylan means with the 1-4-3, you'll feel the burn in your delt.

[account_inactive]

I forgot about doubles, they would fit the bill if you could avoid wrecking your elbows.

A friend of mine used to do a weird campus exercise that involved starting on 1-4 an then swapping to 2-5 with the upper hand going from 4 to 2 and the lower hand going up from 1 to 5. Continue until you fall off 

He's injured now

[abarro81]

I've often thought this is the one thing the matrix campus board might be really good for, since the rungs are slopey.. Doubling up them seems very contact strength based.

Strangely enough, I find double are the campus exercises which least abuse my elbows, because they don't involve any deep locking. However I think that's probably a sign my elbow issues are more to do with shoulder stability (like the sausage talks about) than the usual clmbing injuries.

[Johnny Brown]

Agreed. If you're elbows are sore campussing you need to do more bachar ladders.

[route149]

He's injured now

That doesn't sound like a strong recommendation!   I may just  throw in one set per session into the mix, low reps, and see how it goes. 

Actually I think the shoulder stab. thing could be relevant to me too as it's obviously going to help the stability of the whole core (shoulder-pelvis connection) on very steep, locky moves,

[iain]

Don't know if this will be of use but I found that going from 1-3-5 to 1-4-7 was a big leap, i made gains by doing 1-3-6-8 and 1-4-6-9 leading with alternate arms. Meant I always had a 3 rung throw but with hands only 2 rungs apart, and reversing helped too.

Personally I found my contact strength was at it's best after a few weeks of assisted maximal one armed hangs on various grips. Got the recruitment up and my fingers seemed to pull close to max on contact. It may be total bollocks but it's what I experienced and would be curious about thoughts from more knowledgable types on this.

[Mr Cat]

Contact strength...

Campus Touches
1-4-1
1-4-3-4-3-4-3 touches - (see moon site)

Earl had an exercise where he'd hang a rung on the campus board open and bump both hands simultaneously to crimp then reverse and repeat. If I was you I'd just get the contact strength open that way things won't go snap crack and pop as often.

ps - there's no rule that says you CAN'T campus crimped.

hi - you got any more info on this please..? - links etc..?

[slackline]

Contact strength...

Campus Touches
1-4-1
1-4-3-4-3-4-3 touches - (see moon site)

Earl had an exercise where he'd hang a rung on the campus board open and bump both hands simultaneously to crimp then reverse and repeat. If I was you I'd just get the contact strength open that way things won't go snap crack and pop as often.

ps - there's no rule that says you CAN'T campus crimped.

hi - you got any more info on this please..? - links etc..?

Here, let me google that for you 

[Mr Cat]

thanks for your help... 

[slackline]

thanks for your help... 

Are you unsure what the link does?  Follow it, and the top hit on the Google Search results page is what you are looking for.

[Mr Cat]

yep...you're such a helpful and friendly chap... :D

[route149]

Don't know if this will be of use but I found that going from 1-3-5 to 1-4-7 was a big leap, i made gains by doing 1-3-6-8 and 1-4-6-9 leading with alternate arms.

Thanks, that is very helpful 'cos I know from my last phase of campusing that 1-4-7 isn't quite there yet.  Funny, because I can do 1-6

[Paul B]

suggests your lock might be a tad shite?

[route149]

suggests your lock might be a tad shite?

Ahah, wouldn't be at all suprised, Paul. 

But I'm at the limit of my understanding here.  If you  latch 6 from 1 (small rungs) and hold 6, isn't that a deepish lock on one side? 

So when you now lift the lower hand through, you're temporarily deadhanging the hand that's on 6, right?  It's developing the power to reach that other hand through from that extended position that's failing me.  Is that a lock thing or something else?

[route149]

suggests your lock might be a tad shite?

Ahah, wouldn't be at all suprised, Paul, along with a number of other aspects of my strength! 

But I'm at the limit of my understanding here.  If you  latch 6 from 1 (small rungs) and hold 6, isn't that a deepish lock on one side? 

So when you now lift the lower hand through, you're temporarily deadhanging the hand that's on 6, right?  It's developing the power to reach that other hand through from that extended position that's failing me.  Is that a lock thing or something else?

[Paul B]

But with two hands on the board, even with one on 1 and the other on 6 your locking a lot less weight than when you remove the lower hand. No doubt in the 1-6 position you can pull up on the upper arm until your hand is somewhere near your chest? Now, what happens when you let go? does your body drop significantly?

[route149]

No doubt in the 1-6 position you can pull up on the upper arm until your hand is somewhere near your chest? Now, what happens when you let go? does your body drop significantly?

Right, I'm with you now.  That's exactly what happens.   I can only hold that without sagging for an instant.  I don't even need to check, I remember trying this from time to time. 

On the big fat slopey campus rungs, I can get a fleeting lock if I push up with my finger tips with the lower hand and then take that hand away.

To be honest, I'm getting a bit impatient with this lock malarkey.  It's resisted all attempts to improve, even by a whisker. It would definitely take my bouldering to the next V grade if I got it sorted.

[Paul B]

1-4-3 

[benpritch]

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/232/